-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- It was the moment the world had been waiting for , and as he has so often in his glittering career , Lionel Messi delivered .

After a frantic opening to the World Cup in Brazil with entertainment and goals aplenty , one of its gold-plated stars announced his arrival in style .

A trademark slaloming run from the Barcelona striker ended in the fashion soccer fans have become well accustomed to -- with the net rippling .

In truth , Argentina were far from their best against the World Cup debutantes Bosnia and Herzegovina despite going 1-0 up thanks to the quickest goal at the World Cup to date .

Sead Kolasinac was the unwitting scorer , diverting the ball into his own net after a Messi free kick was glanced on by Marcos Rojo .

Alejandro Sabella 's men could n't build on that early lead though as Bosnia and Herzegovina held their own until the interval .

Argentina 's lead was doubled on 65 minutes thanks to a piece of magic from their talisman .

Messi swapped passes with Gonzalo HiguaÃn and sidestepped two challenges before firing home off the inside of the post via a slight deflection .

His vigorous celebration perhaps showed the pressure he was under to perform , as the endless comparisons to Argentina 's other world famous player -- Diego Maradona -- go on .

A goal from substitute Vedad Ibisevic ensured a nervy final six minutes but Argentina held out to secure three important points .

France 3-0 Honduras

The first World Cup goal to be awarded via goal-line technology helped France to a convincing 3-0 victory over 10-man Honduras in Porto Alegre .

Karim Benzema , who had put France ahead thanks to a first half penalty , fired a shot against the post only for Honduras keeper Noel Valladares to inadvertently nudge the ball towards goal .

It was awarded by the referee after goal-line technology -- introduced for the first time at this World Cup by FIFA -- instructed him the ball had crossed the line .

Replays inside the stadium led to boos from some supporters , as the big screen flashed up ` no goal ' for the initial effort that hit the upright , then ` goal ' after the ball had cannoned off Valladares .

Aside from the confusion it was a routine win for an energetic France side , whose task was made easier when Honduras went down to 10 men .

Wilson Palacios , who plays for English Premier League side Stoke , had already been booked when he barged into Paul Pogba , conceding a penalty and attracting a second booking .

Benzema duly dispatched the spot kick as France seized the initiative just before the interval .

Then just three minutes after the break came a landmark moment for the world game when Benzema 's volley from an exquisite Yohan Cabaye pass flashed back off the post .

Valladares tried to parry the ball clear as it hurtled towards him but only succeeded in flicking it over the line , the referee confirming the goal a few seconds later .

Honduras protested and the replays led to confusion but the goal was awarded , four years after the incident in South Africa that led FIFA president Sepp Blatter to change his mind on technology .

A shot from England 's Frank Lampard flicked off the bar and bounced down a yard over the line in their quarterfinal with Germany but the goal was n't awarded .

There was no doubt about Benzema 's second , as he fired emphatically into the roof of the net after pouncing on a loose ball , completing a perfect opening night for France coach Didier Deschamps .

Switzerland 2-1 Ecuador

The other game in Group E on Sunday was a tale of two super subs for Switzerland as an injury time winner from Haris Seferovic broke Ecuadorian hearts in Brasilia .

The striker came off the bench to pounce in the dying seconds of the game after another sub -- Admir Mehmedi -- had canceled out Enner Valencia 's early header .

It meant that after nine matches at the World Cup , there is still to be a draw .

After a low key opening it was Ecuador who struck first , as Enner Valencia planted a firm header into the net from Walter Ayovi 's center .

Switzerland , tipped by many as World Cup dark horses , struggled to get into any sort of rhythm and squandered a succession of set pieces .

But its two-time European Champions League winning coach Ottmar Hitzfeld got his half time tactical tinkering just right and it drew level within minutes of the restart .

Hitzfeld brought striker Admir Mehmedi on for Valentin Stocker and the Freiburg forward nodded home from close range .

Swiss goalkeeper Diego Benaglio saved well from Jefferson Montero before Josip Drmic had a goal ruled out for offside as the match neared a dramatic conclusion .

Ecuador had a great chance to find the net but Michael Arroyo was tackled brilliantly by Valon Behrami , who then launched a counter attack .

The referee played an excellent advantage after Behrami was fouled and the move ended with Seferovic finishing off Ricardo Rodriguez 's low cross .

`` We 've done it , and that 's unbelievable , '' Hitzfeld was quoted as saying by FIFA 's website . `` We never stopped believing in ourselves . I 'm extremely happy with the three points and it means it 's a good start . ''

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Lionel Messi announces his World Cup arrival with brilliant goal for Argentina

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Messi 's strike lifts Argentina to a 2-1 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina

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Benzema brace helps France beat 10-man Honduras 3-0 in Group E

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Match sees first World Cup goal awarded via the use of goal-line technology